World

236,000 killed in disasters in 2010: UN

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-14 05:17

A boy, who has been displaced by floods, stands outside tents while taking refuge with his family in a relief camp for flood victims in Kakar, some 26 km (16 miles) from Dadu in Pakistan's Sindh province, October 13, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

GENEVA- More than 236,000 people have been killed in disasters in 2010, said the United Nations on Wednesday on the occasion of International Day for Disaster Reduction.

The newly released figures show that 256 million people have been affected by various types of disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tropical storms and landslides from the beginning of the year.

According to an estimation from Center for Research in the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), these disasters have cost 81 billion U.S. dollars from January this year up until September 1. In the first six months alone, the world suffered 70 billion U.S. dollars in loss due to the frequent outbreak of disasters.

In 1989, the UN General Assembly designated the second Wednesday of October International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. Wednesday is the 21st Disaster Reduction Day.

It is a day to remind the world about the risks from disasters, to highlight the successes and to continue working toward achieving safer and more resilient communities.